RED WING STRENGTH – Hoboken will look to defend the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I state championship it won a year ago. From left are Noel Gonzalez, Dylan Gans, Preston Mars, head coach Lou Taglieri, Eric Benekin and Daniel Clifford.

The 2012 high school football season was a glorious one for the Red Wings of Hoboken, who captured the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I state championship at MetLife Stadium with a convincing 39-9 rout of Roselle Park.

The one-sided victory capped a dominating three-game run in the state playoffs, as the Red Wings outscored their three playoff opponents, namely Dunellen, Dayton Regional, and Roselle Park, by a lopsided combined score of 128-23, giving the program its first state title since the undefeated 12-0 campaign in 2005.

The Red Wings lost their two main offensive cogs, namely Hudson Reporter Most Valuable Player Donte Carter and Rahmein Herron, to graduation, so it has forced veteran head coach Lou Taglieri, the 2012 Hudson Reporter Coach of the Year, to scramble a little to find suitable replacements as he begins his ninth season as the Red Wings’ head coach.

“No question, Carter and Herron were special players,” said Taglieri, mentioning that both are currently playing college football. “To say that I’m going to be able to replace them, I can’t. So we’re putting that state championship in a vault and looking to find a way for these kids to find an identity for themselves.”

It could very well mean that the Red Wings will throw the ball more, even out of the conventional run-oriented Delaware Wing-T formation, considering that quarterback Dante Bass and his top receiver Kain Dunham both return.

Both players had moments of brilliance last season. Dunham made one of the best receptions ever recorded in Hoboken in the Red Wings’ late-season rout of Jefferson and had another sensational grab in the state championship game at MetLife Stadium.

“We do have a pretty good quarterback and a pretty good receiver,” Taglieri said. “We also have two very good tight ends, so we’d like to throw it a little more. We’ve worked on that a lot so far. It loosens things up for our offense. We’re not going to be afraid to use it.”

Bass, a 5-10, 180-pound senior, has to become the team’s leader this season.

“He hasn’t hit his full potential yet,” Taglieri said. “He’s coming along. We might have to go through Bass this season to be successful.”

Dunham (6-1, 190) has received his share of offers from schools like Wagner and Towson.

“He’s very aggressive,” Taglieri said. “He goes up and gets the ball. He’s not afraid of going to get the ball.”

Taglieri is a little unsure of his backfield situation.

“We have more than enough talent there,” Taglieri said. “They just have to get better. There’s no substitute for experience and we don’t have it in the backfield. We want kids who can run the ball and not put the ball on the ground.”

One returning player is senior Terry Perry (5-9, 185), who gained more than 400 yards as a fill-in for Carter and Herron last season.

“He got more than his fair share of carries,” Taglieri said. “We’re counting on him to do more this year.”

Taglieri is high on junior Josh Mercado (5-10, 180).

“I really like him,” Taglieri said “He’s very athletic and can run and jump. He also catches the ball pretty well out of the backfield.”

Junior Michael Williamson (5-10, 175) and sophomores Marquis Roberts (5-9, 160) and Kyeise Lopez (5-8, 170) are all battling for playing time in the Red Wing backfield.

“Plain and simple, they have to block as well,” Taglieri said of his running backs. “If they don’t block, they don’t play.”

Taglieri also likes his two tight ends, namely seniors

Robert Montanez (6-1, 240) and Dashawn Reed (6-2, 220). There will be some sets where the Red Wings put both tight ends on the field together.

The Red Wings have a huge offensive line, spearheaded by junior tackle Daniel Clifford (6-4, 280), who is a big-time Division I talent. Clifford is going to get his fair share of offers from major college programs before he graduates in 2015.